The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-05-18
STORM AND FLOOD.
Waterspouts Cause Great Damage
in Eastern States.

WaterSpoutS Cause Great damage
in Eastern States.
Dnring a heavy storm the other afternoon
q waterspout burst on Fairbanks Hill, West
Peterboro N. H., and caused the most dam
aging washout ever known in the town.
The water came down in sheets, cover
ING the entire hillside, and on reaching
the streets swept everything before it. Large
rocks, weighing two TONS were moved from
their beds and lett in the middle OF the street.
On Saunders street the highway was COM
pletely gutted for q distance OF twenty-five
rods.
Trainmen on the Milford branch of the
Boston and Albany road reported that train
ran through a waterspout near East Hollis
ton, Mass. The engine was deluged with
water and hail. The cloud was funnel shaped.
Dispatches from many points in the
Penobscot, Kennebec, Androscoggin, and
Saco valleys of Maine tell a story of damage
and disaster by floods, which in the aggregate
amounts to a serious misfortune Tor
thousands Of people. A week ago an
immense body of snow, fully three feet
deep ON a level, covered the northern half OF
the State. 1t began raining heavily on Thurs
day in that region, and Friday the storm
was terrific. Several waterspouts are also
reported. The result began to be felt in the
lower valleys Friday, and before sundown on
Saturday the rivers were all overfowlng
their banks and marking higher level than
for many years. In the Kennebec and Pen
obscot valleys the rushing waters passed the
limit of the food of 1869.
mills and many other buildings have been
wrecked, many houses were under water,
driving hundreds of people from
their homes. millions of logs havo
been swept out to sea, and many
miles of railroad and highways have been
DESTROYED. The rise of the waters was most
sudden and destructive in the upper portions
of the large rivers and their tributaries.
Along the Kennebec serious damage is re-
ported at Augusta Gardiner, Hallowell and
Nashville. In Augusta the lower stories OF
all the buildings on the water front were sub
merged The deluged district includes some
of the largest business houses in town. Very
little could be done in the way of removing
property from the submerged buildings, but
in some cases valuable goods were carried to
llpper stories. All the mills on the river shut
down. and the situation of some Of them was
so precarious that it was feared they would not
long stand the pressure.
At Gardiner, lower down the river, the
main street of the city was under water In
some places, and the damage was great.
The water was several feet higher than the
wharves. The boom at Brown Island broke
and more than q million logs foated past
the city to the sea. Soon after notice came
from Fairfield that the big boom there had
broken, and that two millionlogs were coming
down the river. 1t was impossible to save
them.
Railroad communication with Bangor was
cut off by great washout fey miles west
of the town. Valley avenue for two
miles was impossible, and the houses
were flooded, people moving in boats to
places of safety. The bridge at Bald Hill
Cove, nearly new, was carried away, and
great piers were undermined and destroyed
Bv far the greatest damage was on the
railroads. The Bar Harbor branch of the
Maine Central was flooded in a dozen places,
the embankments were carried away, ana
trains we're off the track in the midst OF the
water, which was flowing through the cars;
On the Bangor and Piscataquis kalIroao
there was great waShout at Abbot village,
and no trains were passing there, passengers
and mails being transferred in boats ,.,
At Bucksport Centre fine highway nrldse
was carried away. At Hartland the wooieil
mill and many houses were hooded, anu
people moved their household goods TO places
of safety. At Saltwater long dam mas
been carried away and one OF the h!gnMay
bridge piers has also gone, leaving tlle strucs
ture in a shaky condition, A greaS 2oom o.
logs belonging to John Morrison 4 20. was
swept away there.